Humanity in Action to Hold NY Conference on U.S. Election and Social Justice

October 13, 2016

On October 21 and 22, 2016, Humanity in Action will convene its annual New York Conference to explore social justice issues at the heart of the 2016 U.S. election. The conference will take place at The New School in Manhattan.

"This year's conference explores the most important social justice issues in the U.S. election – inequality, racism, immigration, gun violence, political extremism, and even more," said Anthony Chase, Humanity in Action's Director of Programs. "We are thrilled to be joined by speakers from the NAACP, Hillary for America, Everytown for Gun Safety, the Gates Foundation and the Drug Policy Alliance."

The conference will begin the evening of Friday, October 21, 2016, with a keynote talk by Cornell W. Brooks, the President of the NAACP, about racial justice and voting rights in the United States. Throughout the day on Saturday, October 22, conference participants will discuss a wide range of issues at stake in the 2016 election, including civil liberties and national security, the future of the Republican Party, gun violence, immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border, and poverty.

Humanity in Action New York Conference

• Where: The New School in Manhattan• When: October 21 and 22, 2016 – conference begins on the Friday evening and runs all day on the Saturday• Who: Humanity in Action Fellows, Senior Fellows, Board Members and invited guests

The conference will also feature five social justice walking tours around New York City with local experts. The tours include “Rhetoric and Restriction: The History of Immigration in New York” (Lower East Side), "Inequality and Occupy Wall Street" (Financial District), "Stonewall and the LGBT Rights Movement in New York City" (Greenwich Village), "Rising Sea Levels in New York – Climate Change and Resiliency Planning" along New York's waterways, and "Reflections on 9/11 and the Memorial."

The conference is hosted by The New School for the fourth year in a row, through a special collaboration with Humanity in Action.

Conference Speakers

Speakers and sessions at the 2016 New York Conference include:

Racial Justice & the Right to Vote

• Cornell W. Brooks (President, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – NAACP)

Brooks, the president of the nation's most important civil rights organization, will speak on the climate of racial tension in the U.S., particularly in regards to voting rights, policing, incarceration and President Obama's legacy.

Drug Policy and the War on Drugs: Race, Class and the Politics of Mass-Criminalization

Frederique will join us to discuss militarized policing, mandatory minimums, the opioid epidemic and incarceration against the backdrop of the 2016 election.

Behind the Scene 2016: Campaigning with Hillary For America and the NAACP

• Danielle Goonan (Hillary for America)• Devon Crawford (NAACP)

In this off-the-record session, two Humanity in Action Senior Fellows share insider perspectives on the election. Goonan is a member of Hillary Clinton's Education Policy Working Group and is a local organizer with Hillary For America in Arkansas. Crawford is the 2016 NAACP-Humanity in Action Fellow and has been organizing millennial voters across the country.

Donald J. Trump and U.S. Presidential History

One of the country's most celebrated presidential biographers and the historian behind Hamilton, Chernow was recently awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama. He will discuss what Trump means within the context of U.S. presidential history.

Social Justice and the 2016 Election

• Gustavo Rivera (New York State Senator, 33rd District – the Bronx)

Senator Rivera represents the Bronx in the New York State Senate and is known for fighting for working families and immigrant communities in Albany. He was a Fellow in Humanity in Action's P!oneers program.

The Future of the Party: Reflections from a Former GOP Insider

• Jimmy LaSalvia (Former Executive Director, GOProud)

The founder of GOProud, LaSalvia was the face of the LGBT movement within the Republican Party and he worked with the likes of Ann Coulter, Donald J. Trump, Gary Johnson and Peter Thiel. He left the GOP in 2014 and joins us to reflect on the future of the party.

While inequality has been a major theme of the election, politicians have often focused on the middle class and the 1%. This panel reframes the discussion to focus on poverty. It will bring together a scholar of racial socioeconomic disparities, a practitioner who designs financial innovations for low income Americans, and a journalist who is proposing radical paths forward. Robert Friedman, a Humanity in Action American Planning Board Member, will moderate.

Gun Violence and Reform in America's Cities

Bloom will join us from Michael Bloomberg's initiative on gun control to talk about where his organization is seeing success in reducing gun violence by working with municipal and state governments.

How to Make the Ask: Fundraising Workshop with Humanity in Action Board Members

• Marnie Imhoff (The Rockefeller University)

• Brian Stout (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)

How do you make "the ask"? In this workshop, two Humanity in Action Board Members and fundraising pros share practical insights on development and fundraising for nonprofits.

Undocumented Migration and the Humanitarian Crisis on the U.S.-Mexico Border

• Chelsea Halstead (Deputy Director, Colibrí Center for Human Rights)

A Humanity in Action Senior Fellow, Halstead will speak about her work with forensic scientists and humanitarians to bring human rights violations and perilous conditions on the U.S.-Mexico border to light.

Thank You

Humanity in Action thanks The New School for its support of the 2016 New York Conference. Humanity in Action also thanks the many individuals who make the New York Conference possible through their contributions and volunteer support.